The Chimera Summoner – Ch 46 (2/2) – Aftermath

Ch 46 - Aftermath (2/2)

Above us, the cold winter clouds fell like a freezing, damp curtain, enclosing the school in mist as we passed up through them.

My ears popped, providing relief to the pressure I hadn't noticed building up behind them. I could suddenly hear very clearly.

I could hear Maule standing over the now-conscious Valant, demanding why she got back together with her ex without telling any of the staff, and how she intended to explain both her lack of parenting to Jennie and her failure to inform the school of their relationship.

Valant was being uncharacteristically sullen, like she was a child who’d been caught stealing cookies.

“But to MARRY this woman?!” Maule bellowed. “And no invitation?? Do we mean nothing to you?!”

Brawly sauntered over, reluctantly leaving her adoring circle of fans.

“I went to the wedding. It was very sweet actually!” She said, “Lyla has really–”

“Don’t talk to me about that woman.” Maule ordered.

Brawly looked confused. “But you're talking about her.”

“I'm TALKING about Grace, and what's best for her.” Maule rumbled.

A little tremor passed over the lawn.

“Maybe we should…?” I tilted my head towards the lifts.

~~~~~~~~~~~

Hera, Nyke, and Ravale’s shared apartment was in the same spartan vein as our own. With the crucial difference that there was enough seating in the shared living room for us all.

That is, with Lucy cuddled into my ribs, Violette sitting firmly ON my feet with her long tail curled around both our toes in a donut, Serenity sitting on the back of the couch with her long, bare legs draped over the shoulder that Lucy hadn't claimed, and Lorna hovering at our sides – we managed to occupy only two cushions of the couch.

Jennie, grumpy and harrowed from questioning, joined us after about an hour. She informed us that Grace would be alright, but that she was now in a healing trance.

She crashed into the couch next to Lucy, and started eating the snacks that Ravale had thoughtfully covered their low little coffee table with.

“Catch me up on what the fuck happened with you two.” Jennie ordered when she'd settled herself with a fluffy cushion in her arms.

Thankfully, Hera took up the tale, lavishly embellishing our ‘heroics’.

I stared out the window, still trying to process all that had happened since we’d returned from Mirrolin.

I appreciated that window a lot. The apartments that had them were all way more expensive. And it was just one, small enough for me to touch both sides of, if I wanted.

Not a massive deal, before our school was launched as an aircraft by one of the most powerful individuals on the world.

But now?!

We’d rearranged the room so everything faced the window, and we were watching a rolling ocean of clouds glide past at close range.

The sunset was just starting to dip below the cloudline, sending trace lines of red and gold to burnish each pillowy puff. It was easily the best view I had ever experienced.

At least of a landscape.

Any of my Familiars faces when they saw me, first thing in the morning after waking up was what I really craved. I was exhausted in a way that went deeper than I could explain. I felt like a clay pot that was lined with cracks. One good bonk, and I might come apart.

“So to summarize:” Jennie said, grumpily stuffing her face with the crunchy snacks that Nyke and Ravale had put out. “You were both captured by our former professor, who is now a disembodied head.”

“Traitorous loser.” Hera said, casually. She lounged comfortably against Nyke, swinging one leg rhythmically.

I snorted a laugh, running my fingers through Violette’s silky pink waves, which were strewn over my lap like a blanket.

“You both DIED.” Jennie continued.

“Only once.” Hera said. “And when I came back, I didn’t get a sick makeover.“

She glared at me.

Ah. I’d forgotten about this.

“Yeah, I actually need a mirror.” I said, extricating myself from my reluctant Familiars.

Soon we were all crowded into Ravale’s bathroom (the cleanest one, they all agreed) and admiring the changes to my hair and eyes.

“It’s completely unfair.” Hera grumbled. “I’ve died like six times now. Where’s my–”

“You’re beautiful.” Nyke cut her off.

I could tell Hera was mollified, but kept up her huffy exterior.

“As are you.” Lorna added, calmly.

Serenity’s wings fluttered, sending a little warm breeze over us all. I noticed she’d hadn’t let Lorna out from within the arc of her wings since she’d been recovered, instead hovering as a sentinel within easy reach of our reclaimed princess.

Nyke stiffened, looking suspicious of the ghost’s off-handed compliment, before shooting a nervous look at Hera. She, by contrast, looked thrilled, and was waggling her eyebrows at each of them in turn.

I stared at myself in the mirror, fanning out my hair, and peering closely at my new eyes.

My previously light and stormy hair had taken on an added metallic silvery quality, as if every tenth hair was made of silver. Or starlight. It shimmered with gentle iridescence, as I ruffled it critically. It wasn’t THAT different. But it had a distinct moonlight kind of quality to it now. How much of the change was Death reconstructing me, and how much was Melody’s Nightwish binding itself to my soul, was unclear to me.

But regardless, my eyes sparkled! My natural grey had been replaced with inky black irises traced with distant silver points of light. Peering close, it was like they were tiny circular windows into a distant night sky.

I pulled on my cheek as I opened them as wide as possible to get a good look.

Then I stepped back and tried to make a normal expression.

Honestly…?

It was sick. I felt hot as fuck.

I struck a little pose, tossing my hair and trying to smolder.

Then stopped when the smolder kind of worked??

As someone who had only smoldered ironically, it was kind of disorienting.

I’d always been fairly happy with my looks. I liked my hair a lot, and my face was symmetrical when I could be bothered to make a normal expression.

But now, examining myself in the mirror? Feeling the direct reactions of my Familiars steadily, earnestly lusting after me with a new fervor. Hearing Hera, Nyke, Jennie and even Ravale ‘ohh’ and ‘ahh’.

I hadn’t even changed much. My face was the same. My hair had just been sort of woven with a little magical moonlight. It was the same otherwise.

My eyes were the big change. Midnight black, with starlight piercing through, was a striking look, to say the least.

But the more I looked… the more into it I was.

Which I had genuinely never experienced before. It made me want to find an excuse to get dressed up and go out or something!

And I was LOVING how into it my girls were! I could feel their approval and lust and it made me feel about a billion feet tall.

Lucy let out a longing sigh that I felt straight through our bond. I knew I had gotten her a little wet. Or a lot wet. Lucy didn’t really do that by halves, and she had an infinite supply.

“Do you… glow?” Ravale asked in a whisper.

Violette hit the light panel, plunging us into darkness. There were some surprised squeals. Then everyone pressed in around me, curiously.

“Easy, easy!” I protested.

My hair lost its glimmer with only the light of Serenity’s halo, turned down as low as she could make it go.

But my eyes did seem to stand out, glimmering with a soft light.

“I’ll be worse at sneaking.” I said critically.

“Who gives a single fuck about that?!” Jennie blurted.

Her embarrassed little cough that followed her openly horny comment made me giggle.

“Shut up.” She ordered. “I’m mad at you. Point those things somewhere else.”

The lights came back on, and Jennie crossed her arms, blushing slightly. She turned, and huffily led us back to the living room.

“So what is up with your whole secret identity??” I asked as we returned to our places in the living room.

Jennie scowled. “Grace and my mom are… together.”

“Grace is your MOM???” I demanded.

“She’s my mom’s wife. ‘Auntie’ just so people get the relationship more in the right ballpark, in simple conversation.” Jennie said.

There was about five minutes of general uproar where we all demanded answers and gave absolutely no opening for Jennie to provide them.

“Grace isn’t my mom.” Jennie finally got through our interrogation. “My moms are Lyla, who Grace is now with, and Mom’s ex who shall not be named. Grace and I have more of a... distant Aunt relationship, though we are getting closer. But she isn’t my mom. And we don’t want it to be that way. I’m already grown. She’s my mom’s wife. Not my mom. Which I TOLD you on the train ride that first DAY.”

She glared.

“YOU SAID YOU WERE RELATED. NOT ALL THAT! And said NOTHING about any of this being a secret?!” I defended myself indignantly.

“Yeah!” Lucy came to my defense immediately, just like in Wayfinding. “You have to communicate! It’s the only way the people who love you will know what you want!”

She indicated us.

Jennie went extremely cross eyed, like she’d been hit with a stunning Skill. “I… What?! Love. Who?! That's crazy.”

“For example!” Lucy went on, angrily. “I want all of us to take our clothes off and have a big, wet, messy reunion org–”

Hera was nodding hopefully, but Nyke looked a little awkward, and Ravale… Poor straight Ravale. Adorable, straight Ravale. She looked like she might literally flee.

“Down, girl.” I ordered.

Lucy instantly stopped, and settled her chin on my shoulder, blinking up at me obediently.

I gave her forehead a peck, and squeezed her cheek. “Good girl.”

“Thaaaaat’s so fucking hot.” Hera hissed. Then turned to Nyke. “I want you to do that to me.”

“If there was a way to shut you up on a dime like this, I would have discovered it by now.” Nyke scoffed.

“Outrageous! I’m telling you–” Hera started.

“Sit.” Nyke barked.

Hera’s eyes went narrow and her voice got husky. “Make me.”

“Chillllllll!” I ordered, as Ravale took refuge by covering her face.

Hera settled into her seat.

“How…?” Nyke narrowed her eyes at me.

“So, did you two get any Levels out of all this?” Ravale squeaked, rather muffled by her hands.

Conversation turned back to practical matters, and the Healer shot me a grateful smile as she reemerged. I nodded.

Obviously, she deserved to be comfortable and only be exposed to as much of our spicy shenanigans as she consented to.

“--So I didn’t get to do much fighting.” Hera concluded. “Eir kinda went insane when she took Lorna’s big sword thing.”

Eyes turned expectantly on me.

I turned to Lorna. The ghost princess sighed, and absentmindedly placed her hand on Serenity’s leg to steady herself. The angel went very still.

“Long ago, on a world besieged, my late wife entrusted me with the care of a very dangerous weapon.” Lorna said, “She originally forged it as a last hope for her home world. A weapon for a champion that could stand against the Strangers. Alas, the champion fell before the weapon was complete. She gave it to me, for safekeeping, until such time as another was willing and worthy to carry it. The hope of a whole world. And a wish.”

“A wish for what?” I asked,  gently.

I reached over and took her other hand in mine, squeezing tight – grateful again that she could finally be held.

“Peace.” Lorna said, smiling sadly.

“May we…?” Hera asked, uncharacteristically solemn and respectful.

I waited for Lorna.

“It is your sword.” Lorna said, “Bound to you forever. It’s your choice, of course.”

I shook my head. “I may carry it. But I know who it belongs to. And I know who she trusted with it.”

Lorna smiled, sad and something else. “She trusted you. So do I.”

I released Lorna with one last squeeze, and opened my hand.

Melody's Nightwish appeared like the moon emerging from behind clouds.

And fell directly out of my hand onto the floor with a loud thud.